At least 19 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territory so far in July, with four children reportedly killed in Gaza this morning, with attacks near-daily despite a ceasefire.
At least 19 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territory so far in July, with four children reportedly killed in Gaza this morning, with attacks near-daily despite a ceasefire, Save the Children said.
A drone strike on a residential building south of Gaza City in the early hours today set the building on fire, reportedly killing four children and their parents. This was the latest in a spate of deadly attacks this month, with an average of one child dying each day.
On Saturday, a family of five was reportedly killed when an Israeli fighter jet struck their apartment in Gaza, with one sibling surviving the attack. Last Wednesday, a 6-year-old girl was reportedly killed with her parents and her four-year-old brother injured after an Israeli helicopter targeted an apartment building in Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza. Earlier in July, two siblings, aged seven and eight, were killed when an Israeli drone hit a vehicle in the al-Sabra neighborhood south of Gaza City.
Another 9 children have reportedly been killed since the start of the month, with the latest fatality last Saturday when a 17-year-old from Al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah died from injuries sustained during a raid on a village the week before.
Besides the children killed, many others have suffered severe and long-lasting injuries, with others left orphaned after narrowly escaping the attacks, which have continued to be almost daily despite a nine-month ceasefire.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children's Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
"How can this be called a ceasefire when whole families are still being wiped out? Children with their parents burned alive in a single strike. Others left as the sole survivors, carrying soul shattering injuries that will leave them scarred for life. Is this the new reality?
"This comes less than a month after the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children. Yet children continue to be killed. International law cannot apply selectively. If it does not protect Palestinian children, then it is failing to serve the very purpose for which it exists. Palestinian children deserve life; the targeting of Palestinian children must be stopped."
Save the Children is calling on governments to immediately suspend the transfer of arms to Israel and ensure that they do not support or sustain unlawful practices in the occupied Palestinian territory. Member States must also ban trade, economic cooperation and services that maintain or support illegal Israeli settlements, in line with the International Court of Justice’s 2024 Advisory Opinion and represents a necessary step to end the systematic violation of Palestinian children's fundamental rights.
Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. We work with partners to help provide quality education, protection for children, early childhood development support, and employment opportunities for young people.
Despite continued access constraints, repeated displacement, and a deteriorating humanitarian environment, since the beginning of 2026, Save the Children has sustained life-saving operations across the occupied Palestinian territory. In Gaza, we have expanded learning spaces, scaled up water and sanitation services to displacement sites, strengthened health delivery through partnerships, and reached families with cash assistance. In the West Bank, we are supporting the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and their caregivers, providing children with access to safe and inclusive education and families with cash assistance.
